# Please ID this 1930s tune

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-1930s-tune/964860>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** music\
**Created:** [May 21, 2022, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-1930s-tune/964860 "2022-05-21T22:20:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-1930s-tune/964860/1 "2022-05-21T22:20:45Z")

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The 1972 movie _What’s Up, Doc?_ has lots of background music from the 1930s (mostly, but not exclusively, by Cole Porter).

Most of the tunes I recognize, except for this one: [SndUp | Post info](http://sndup.net/mt5y)

I have searched and searched [imdb.com](http://imdb.com) and the actual movie credits, which only list 3 songs in the OST.

Can someone please tell me what 1930s song this tune is from? (It might possibly be from the 1920s, although that seems less likely.)

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**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-1930s-tune/964860/2 "2022-05-21T22:51:55Z")

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The song is “Let’s Turn Out the Lights and Go to Bed.” Rudy Vallee’s version can be found at this link: [“Let’s Put Out the Lights” (Rudy Vallee, 1932) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FONwVvceyAI)

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**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-1930s-tune/964860/3 "2022-05-21T22:52:27Z")

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Beat me by one minute! Good job, XO!

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**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-1930s-tune/964860/4 "2022-05-21T23:21:51Z")

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Thanks! That song seems to exist under two slightly different lyrics, the difference being “Let’s put out the lights and go to bed” or “Let’s put out the lights and go to sleep.” I don’t know why. Perhaps “go to bed” was too suggestive for some folks, though it didn’t bother Mr. Vallee.

I don’t know whose version Hakushon’s clip is (lots of people recorded that song), but I recognized the tune immediately. I have the soundtrack album of a musical/comedy/drama from the 1970s called “Pennies from Heaven,” which starred Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters. It’s chock full of great tunes from the 1930s. If you can ever find it, it’s a real treat if you enjoy music of that era.

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**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-1930s-tune/964860/5 "2022-05-21T23:35:33Z")

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Thank you! This was really driving me crazy. Neither Shazam nor the Sound Search app were able to identify it, and this instrumental version had no lyrics to google. My brain thanks you for the instant relief!